The invention relates to image handling on seamed belts and, more particularly, to the capability of mixing images of different sizes on a seamed belt and mixing copy sheets of different sizes associated with the images along a paper path.
Modern business and document needs oftentimes dictate the need for images of various sizes be interspersed along a photosensitive surface and transferred to associated copy sheets along a sheet path. A suitable control must be able to accurately and efficiently schedule the size variations of the images along the photosensitive surface to avoid the photosensitive surface seam. The control must also be able to select and coordinate the synchronization of the photosensitive surface and arrival of copy sheets from multiple sources at a transfer station.
It is known in the prior art to be able to provide selected documents in a set of documents with different features. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,234 discloses a user interface screen for programming different features for individual documents or groups of documents in a set of documents in a reproduction machine. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,245 discloses a belt seam detection and process control device to avoid forming images across a photoreceptor seam.
One difficulty in prior art devices is that the control is not adapted to intermingle projected images of various sizes on the photosensitive surface and yet avoid projecting an image across the seam.
It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for mixing projected images of various sizes on a photosensitive surface while avoiding the projection of an image across the photosensitive surface seam. Another object of the present invention is to be able to selectively adjust machine timing in order to intermingle projected images of various sizes on a photosensitive surface while avoiding the projection of an image across the photosensitive surface seam and to be able to synchronize the transfer of the images on the surface with the arrival of multi sized copy sheets at a transfer station. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features characterizing the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification.